The Next Day #108: Berlin Weekend Guide
Must-see events in Berlin: July 10-13, 2025
There are weekends in Berlin when the energy feels more like a slow boil, and then there are weekends like this one. Patti Smith is back (and yes, every year she returns, and every year it’s unmissable). Gaswerk delivers its signature cozy festival vibes, with a lineup that gently expands your musical boundaries. Heroines of Sound keeps pushing experimental sound into powerful, feminist terrain, while FLORA continues to be one of this summer’s most beautiful surprises.
And if you’re in dance mode: Stingray 313 at Hamburger Bahnhof, Curses at Else, and Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa promise all kinds of sonic joy. Meanwhile, Berlinische Galerie turns 50 with a generous summer party, Bad Kingdom by Falk Richter has returned to the Schaubühne stage. and Passagens invites you into a floating exhibition on memory and transformation. Oh—and if you’re hungry, the wild concept dinner Gourmet Gamble awaits, where only a few make it to the final dish.
A reminder: we’re going IRL. On July 17, we join forces with 20% Berlin for a summer gathering at Berliner Berg. Come hang, we’d really love to meet you.
See you around.
Lalai & Mateus
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🎸 CONCERTS
Patti Smith Quartet
Friday, 11.07, 7 pm. Zitadelle Spandau, Am Juliusturm, Berlin, 13599. Ticket: €73.55.
Fifty years after Horses, Patti Smith returns with her quartet for a rare summer open-air tour. At 78, still fierce, tender, and luminous on stage—a poet, punk, and shaman in one.
Gaswerk Music Days 2025 – Afrosonic Lineage & Rhythm Force
Sat, 12.07, 4 - 4 pm; Sun, 13.07, 2 - 10 pm. Gaswerksiedlung, Köpenicker Chaussee 24–39, 10317 Berlin. Ticket: €28.25
The first of two festival weekends kicks off with Afrosonic Lineage, in collaboration with Nyege Nyege: live sets by HHY & The Kampala Unit, Arsenal Mikebe, and a set by Studio Out of Time. On Sunday, Rhythm Force takes over with Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force premiere, Singeli fire, and dub-heavy DJ sets.
🎹 EXPERIMENTAL & AMBIENT MUSIC
Heroines of Sound Festival
Thu-Sat, 10–12.07, from 5 pm. Radialsystem, Holzmarktstr. 33, 10243 Berlin. Ticket: €8–€55
It’s a bold celebration of women in experimental sound. From Alexandra Cárdenas to Rojin Sharafi, this year’s edition fuses electro, live art, and noise.
Community Gathering – Monom Bar
Friday, 11.07, 6 pm – 6 am. Funkhaus Berlin, Nalepastr. 18, 12459 Berlin. Free
A free gathering at Monom, one of Berlin’s most stunning immersive sound spaces. Expect experimental live sets, performances, and visual art deep inside Funkhaus. Enter through Zola and follow the sound.
Plasmatron & Moebius Strips w/ Felix Kubin, Josephin Böttger, Hanna Hartman and Tim Story
Fri, 11.07, 6 – 10 pm; Sat–Sun, 12–13.07, 1 – 9 pm. Großer & Kleiner Wasserspeicher, Belforter Str., 10405 Berlin. Ticket: €7. Live performances with Felix Kubin & Josephin Böttger: Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 6 and 8 pm; and Sunday at 6 pm.
The Prenzlauer Berg reservoirs become resonant chambers for an immersive sound installation. Expect electric pulses, modular synths, field recordings, and spatial compositions across two stunning underground spaces.
🎧 LISTENING PARTY
FLORA Festival – Session 7: Terenor Records Showcase
Saturday, 12.07, 3 pm – 9 pm. Location TBA (somewhere in Berlin). Free
One of the most beautiful gatherings of the summer. FLORA blends ambient, nature, and deep listening in a renewable-powered setting. Join the Telegram via @ousia.berlin to get the exact location.
RE-MIXING THE STAGE – Circular Listening Sessions I: On Partying
Saturday, 12.07, 9 pm – 4 am. Studio dB, Uferstrasse 8–11, 13357 Berlin. Ticket: €5
SAVVY kicks off a new sonic series exploring how we listen, gather and unlearn together. The first session dives into partying as a collective practice — with LY:I, Ngwaka Son Systéme, Ra Mava, SACA SAL, and SHUSH.
🪩 PARTIES
Berlin Beats: DJ Stingray 313
Thursday, 10.07, 7 pm – 10 pm. Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstr. 50-51, 10557 Berlin. Free admission.
Berlin Beats really nailed the curation this year. Electro pioneer DJ Stingray 313 takes over the museum courtyard with a heavy, sci-fi set.
Traumburg at the Beach
Friday, 11.07, 3 pm – 10 pm. Gestrandet an der Jannowitzbrücke, Rolandufer, 10179 Berlin. Ticket: €10
A mellow day by the water with Stella Zekri, Camilla Rae, Richii, and more from the Cocktail D’Amore and Body Language crews. Dreamy house, warm breeze, low fee, and summer vibes with Traumburg style.
Else x KHIDI
Friday, 11.07, 5 pm–6 am. Else, An den Treptowers 10, 12435 Berlin. Ticket: €16-22
Berlin meets Tbilisi with a long summer ride of techno and wave featuring Sevda, Neux, Unhuman, and Curses ♡. Floor covered, riverside vibes, and all-night oven pizza.
Sunrise meets CDV Sonnenraum – 24 Hours
Fri-Sat, 11–12.07, from 8 pm. Sonnenraum, Eichenstr. 4A, 12435 Berlin. Ticket: €
CdV teams up with Romania’s Sunrise crew for a full 24-hour session. Minimal mastery with Sonja Moonear, Fumiya Tanaka, Lenny Mailleau, and others.
Bass Resistance – 2 Years
Friday, 11.07, 10 pm – 6 am. arkaoda, Karl-Marx-Platz 16, 12043 Berlin. Ticket: €8–10
Two floors of deep bass with Bass Resistance celebrating two years at arkaoda. Sagan joins the residents downstairs, while DJ Alb curates a long-form listening bar set.
Tresor meets Skee Mask
Fri-Sat, 11-12.07, 11–12 pm. Tresor, Köpenickerstr. 70, 10179 Berlin. Ticket: €22
This one’s set to go off. Skee Mask takes over Globus with Lara Fein and Konrad Wehrmeister, while Darwin, Lee Gamble, and Paula Koski shake the basement. Wait for house music, techno, jungle, and dub.
Rave The Planet Parade 2025
Saturday, 12.07, 2 pm – 10 pm. Strasse des 17. Juni, between Brandenburg Gate and Grosser Stern.
Techno takes the streets again! Berlin’s loudest love letter to electronic music returns with floats and beats. Highlights: Robert Owens and Cherry a.k.a. BreakNtune (Bam Mobil float); Kids Rave float; fka.m4a (Docklands/Fusion ); Nicole Moudaber (Technopia float).
Garage Girls presents Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa
Saturday, 12.07, 11 pm – 6 am. Prince Charles, Prinzenstr. 85, 10969 Berlin. Ticket: €25.
If it’s Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa, you’ll find me on the dancefloor. Expect house, breaks, and pure euphoria at Garage Girls’ summer edition. DJ Northern and Kenza set the mood just right.
KOFFÄIN pres. ATW with Interplanetary Criminal, DJ Seinfeld, La La a.m
Sunday, 13.07, 2 pm – 4 am. Else, An den Treptowers 10, 12435 Berlin. Ticket: €25
This one promises to be a sunny way to close the weekend. Interplanetary Criminal brings UKG and bass heat, joined by DJ Seinfeld, La La, and Garage Girls for 14 hours of grooves by the water.
🎭 PERFORMING ARTS
Der Liebling (Darling) by Anita Vulesica
Wed-Sat, 09-12.07, 8 pm. In DE with EN surtitles on 12.07. Deutsches Theater, Schumannstrasse 13 A, 10117. Ticket: €22-€38.
In a satirical power play between rival CEOs, Der Liebling (Darling) unpacks female ambition, corporate intrigue, and the cost of success. Inspired by Succession and The Favourite, it questions how feminism and power collide in a patriarchal world.
Bad Kingdom by Falk Richter
Fri-Sat, 11-12.07, 8 pm; Sunday, 13.07, 7:30 pm. In DE with EN surtitles on 11.07. Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 Berlin. Tickets: €7–€60.
A fragmented, cinematic journey through a present-day nightmare of urban anxiety, lost utopias, and emotional baggage. Something is rotten in this »bad kingdom« of the present.
Carmen by Christian Weise
Friday 11.07, 7:30 pm. With DE and EN surtitles. Maxim Gorki Theater, Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin. Tickets: €12-€40.
A new arrangement re-traces the genres, cultural quotations and appropriations that Bizet incorporated into his music. In the process, Carmen becomes a queer-burlesque piece of musical theater which playfully re-examines the images, stereotypes and disguises inscribed in opera.
🎨 VISUAL ARTS
A TRANS feat. Anne Imhof – Wish You Were Gay
Thursday, 10.07, opening 6:30 - 7 pm. On view 11.07–14.09, 24/7. A TRANS Vitrine U – Zoologischer Garten (U9 platform), Hardenbergplatz, 10787 Berlin.
As part of the photo festival Kommunikation und Haltung, Anne Imhof presents a large-format photo work in the U-Bahn underworld.
Staging the Self + Monira Al Qadiri. Hero + BG Summer Festival
Opening: Thursday, 10.07, from 7 pm. Admission from 6 pm. Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstr. 124-128, 10969 Berlin. Free
Berlinische Galerie turns 50 with a summer night of art, music, and celebration. Two new shows open: Marta Astfalck-Vietz’s surreal self-portraits and Monira Al Qadiri’s take on petro-cultures. Speeches, DJ Nomi, and garden drinks round out the evening.
Bode Grand Opening – Drawn from Memory
Friday, 11.07, 3 pm – 7 pm. Bode, Karl-Marx-Allee 82, 10243 Berlin.
Bode opens its stunning new gallery with Drawn from Memory, featuring works by Matthew Eguavoen, Jerrell Gibbs, Jammie Holmes, and Shaina McCoy.
Photo Festival “Communication and Attitude” at Teufelsberg
Opening: Friday, 11.07, 6 pm – 9 pm. On view until 07.09. Teufelsberg, 14055 Berlin. Ticket: €5-€12
Teufelsberg is one of the most striking stops on this city-wide photo festival, curated by Haus des Papiers. Works by Grada Kilomba, Tomas Saraceno, Yael Bartana, and more. Shuttle from S Heerstraße, 5–9 pm.
PASSAGENS: Group show
Wednesday, 09.07, 7–10 pm; Thu-Sat, 11–12.07, 2–6 pm. Guided tour: Friday 11.07, 4 pm with Peter Hošek. Motor Ship Heimatland, Märkisches Ufer 1z, 10179 Berlin.
A moving exhibition of Brazilian artists exploring borders, memory, and transformation through diverse media aboard a floating gallery. Curated by Camila Bechelany, Fernanda Lopes & Philipe de Marco.
Irma Stern – A Modernist Artist between Berlin and Cape Town
Opening: Saturday, 12.07, 1 pm – 5 pm. Brücke-Museum, Bussardsteig 9, 14195 Berlin. Free admission. Exhibition runs until 02.11. Tickets:
Irma Stern’s first solo show in her former home city explores her life between exile and privilege. Over 40 works from international collections, plus an intervention by Athi-Patra Ruga and a talk (held in German).
🍽 FOOD & DRINK
Bite Club – Streetfood Open Air
Friday, 11.07, from 5 pm. Arena Berlin & Badeschiff, Eichenstr. 4, 12435 Berlin. Ticket: €5
6 bars, 18 food traders, DJs, and riverside sunset vibes. Bite Club brings the perfect mix of street food, sun, and sounds to kick off your weekend right.
Moroccan Summer Dinner with Hafida Boujtita
Friday, 11.07, 6:30 pm – 10 pm. Atelier Culinario, Kyffhäuserstr. 21
10781 Berlin. Ticket: €69
A long shared table, stories, and Hafida’s family recipes, from zaalouk to saffron chicken and date cookies. Hosted by Lisa Thaens, this Moroccan dinner brings dishes like saffron chicken, falafel, zaalouk and freshly baked bread served at a long shared table.
GOURMET GAMBLE – Vegetarian Saga VII
Sunday, 13.07, 1 - 10 pm. MaHalla, Wilhelminenhofstr. 76, 12459 Berlin. Ticket: €50.
A 10-course vegetarian feast meets performance and playful elimination. Michelin-starred Stephan Hentschel and artist Ralf Schmerberg craft an intense ritual of taste, game, and surprise. Only a few reach the final dish—and the €2,000 prize.
🧠 FOOD FOR THOUGHTS
Sonic Pluriverse Festival: Rebuilding Archives - A Mixtape Methodology
Saturday, 12.07, 5 – 6 pm. HKW, Pavilion (Semra Ertan Garden), John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin. Free - in EN.
Through records, video, and spoken word, Onkar Singh Kular explores how bass culture - reggae, jungle, dub - has shaped space, design, and memory. It’s a live mixtape lecture on diasporic archives and the politics of sound.
✨ MISCELLANEOUS
Retired Plant Sale – Plant Pop-Up
Friday, 11.07, 12 pm – 6 pm. Holzmarkt 25, Holzmarktstr. 25, 10243 Berlin.
Adopt a retired plant and give it a second life. This pop-up by Plantclub & Urban Utopia brings character-filled greenery and good vibes to Holzmarkt.
After Parade Clean-Up 2025
Sunday, 13.07, 11 am – 6 pm. Meet at Platz des 18. März, 10557 Berlin.
Ravers who care come back on Sunday. Join the clean-up crew to help restore Tiergarten after the parade. Gloves, gear, and good vibes provided. Judging by past editions, many ravers don’t care much about trash, so it’s can be a long shift.
📌 SAVE THE DATE
🌈 WHOLE Festival three days of music and celebration for queer people from around the globe. 18 – 21.07 in Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen. Tickets: Weekend Ticket: €265 / Sunday Ticket: €150.
🪈 Psicotrópicos brings a landmark lineup of Brazilian sounds. Opening with Batekoo: 19.07, 11 pm - 5 am at Maaya. Ticket: €18. The main program features Hermeto Pascoal and Letrux, in one of the most beautiful locations in Berlin. Sunday, 27.07, Neue Nationalgalerie. Ticket: €35.
💥 Berlin Atonal is a bold festival of experimental sound, art, and future-facing club culture in one of Berlin's most iconic spaces. Kraftwerk. 27-31.08. Tickets: €55-€278.80
🎹 Alva Noto turns precision into emotion: his audiovisual sets blend glitch, ambient, and minimalist electronics with generative rhythms and large-scale visuals. 24.09, 9 pm, Berghain. Ticket: €36.
✨ No one blends chaos and beauty like ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U. Every set is a wild, genre-defying trip. CTM program, 02.10, Haus der Visionäre. Ticket: TBA.
🎤 Zaho de Sagazan at Philharmonie! Chanson. Synth. Drama. Grit. 04.11, 8 pm. Tickets from €39.90. Twenty minutes of electronic music with her here.
🎸 Wolf Alice at Columbia Halle presenting their upcoming album “The Clearing”. 19.11, 8 pm. Tickets: €45.75.